Interview from 2014 IWF in Atlanta, GA
ShopBot’s former operations manager, ‘head camp counselor,’ and the penultimate editor of American Woodworker, Randy Johnson, is out championing CNC to woodworkers across the country. As an enthusiast of traditional woodworking, Johnson caught the CNC bug and has become an inspiring proponent of digital fabrication, CNC, and how to bring it all into the woodshop. His new book with George Vondriska, CNC Router Essentials, introduces readers to the technology and craft of CNC with presentations focusing on Vectric software and highlighting ShopBot projects.
The book is organized to get new CNC users going quickly, leveraging the ease of use of VCarve Pro from Vectric, Ltd. and the best practices for introducing CNC, as developed by the ShopBot training team working with new CNC users over the last 20 years. There is a lot of good detail in the book with illustrations of dozens of projects from our shelves right here at ShopBot World Headquarters.
One of the last chapters in the book features a wooden box with a beautiful 3-D, domed lid that George, along with the WWGOA (Woodworkers Guild of America), developed as a ShopBot project. George produced a fascinating video that will step you through how the work was done and impress you with the CNC skills and strategies he has developed.
SPECIAL OFFERS Celebrating Randy & George’s Book Release
(1) For a limited promotional period, you can purchase CNC Router Essentials book from the ShopBot web store, bundled with printed instructional PDFs of the ShopBot projects from the book’s gallery, and including a jump drive with all the files you need to produce these projects. The jump drive includes four other quick start projects from Randy.
ShopBot Bit Kit (All 1/4″ Shank), 7 Onsrud Cutters: 1/2″ 90° V Bit (13732) 1/8″ Upcut Ball Nose (13727) 1/4″ Upcut Super “O” (13729) 1/4″ Downcut (13507) 1/16″ Tapered Ball Nose (13731) 1/2″ Two Flute Straight V Flute (13733) 1/8″ Straight “O” Flute (13728)
(2) For a limited promotional period, we will offer a 10% discount on our 7-Piece Bit Kit when purchased in the online store, noted in the book as an excellent way to make sure you have appropriate CNC cutters for your first woodworking work with CNC. (USE Discount Offer #CNCESSEN on our web store at checkout. You don’t need to be a ShopBotter to benefit from this one. Valid through 9.11.2018)
ShopBot’s Basic Training classes cover CNC basics with hands-on learning in a fun interactive environment.
(3) And, while reading about it is great, it’s hard to beat a hands-on, work-with-the-tool approach to getting started in CNC. For a limited period, we’ll be providing Randy and George’s book to participants in our highly-regarded Basic CNC Training course (two days at ShopBot here in Durham). You’ll actually do real projects – just like those in the book – with plenty of help at hand to make it easy to work through any questions you may have.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Here are some projects you can download from our website that are featured in the CNC Router Essentials book along with other fun CNC projects.
And, you may also be interested in …
Andrew Pitts, Furniture Maker
Core77 ShopBot Series
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK’S AUTHORS:
George operates Vondriska Woodworks in Minneapolis where he has a ShopBot Desktop MAX (and several other CNC tool brands); www.vondriskawoodworks.com
Randy has recently taught Intro to CNC classes for woodworkers on ShopBot tools at both the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking.
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